Agent buys house from under client’s nose

In a recent column, we asked if a person who serves homebuyers and sellers for a living should be held to different guidelines if they are competing to purchase a property. For example, should the listing be exposed to the market for a certain amount of time (perhaps 48 hours) before a licensed agent can buy a home that somebody else is ready, willing and able to buy? The question came in light of new research that revealed nearly 43 percent of all members of the National Association of Realtors owned at least one rental property. The responses fell into two main pots: Readers said agents should be allowed to buy if it was in the best interest of the seller. Others who responded thought that agents should be allowed to purchase a property as soon as it is listed provided they knowingly had no other active clients who wanted the same home. A recent Washington state case that was settled out of court (and whose financial terms remain confidential) contained that second cave...